Deus Ex: The Fall Makes Its First Impression

I’d never outright call Square Enix a money-craving twat of a company, but at the moment there’s certainly the temptation to question their grand plan. Amid all the hype and rumours, Square has released the first trailer and some screenshots for Deus Ex: The Fall, an upcoming mobile & handheld game set in the Deus Ex universe – specifically, it seems to be set before the events of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The company also noted that The Fall will be featured in playable form at the Square Enix E3 booth, come June 11th.

For a point of reference, here’s the trailer:

At first glance, it appears to be a mere copy-and-paste of Human Revolution‘s mechanics – the first person perspective, the non-linear level progression, the hacking and conversational mechanics, even the music feels ripped from 2011. However, this new lead character Grey (real name Ben Saxon) comes off as a very different beast than Adam Jensen: he’s a mercenary, he’s perhaps colder in tone, and he’s working for (with?) the Tyrants, the main antagonists from Human Revolution. Also, he’s British.

The trailer also hints at the larger mythos of Deus Ex, that being the Illuminati’s continuing plotting for world domination. Given how integral that element of conspiracy was to Human Revolution, and factoring in the timing of Square’s decision to release a Director’s Cut of that game, it can’t be too much of a stretch to assume that The Fall is an intentional prequel meant to flesh out some backstory and answer some lingering questions.

Still, the question remains: will this do the franchise justice, or will it flop like so many other mobile spin-offs? I suspect what the answer will be, but so far what I’ve seen of The Fall tells me it could go either way – best, then, to just wait and see. Perhaps these screenshots will comfort those still in doubt, or at the very least pass the time until a true Deus Ex sequel materializes.